Interior Rating:

The Focus is one of the older and more cramped-feeling compacts in its class, and the RS has too many economy-car plastics in the cabin for our liking. It is a functional office for the business of spirited driving, but Ford’s RS makeover didn’t allot many dollars for interior improvements.

What’s New for 2018?

The RS2 package is standard for 2018 and includes leather-trimmed Recaro racing seats. The front buckets and steering wheel are heated, and the driver’s seat also has eight-way power adjustments. The cabin now features carbon fiber added to the door handles, the handbrake lever, and around the turbo-boost gauge.

2017 Ford Focus RS

Interior Space Comparisons

Blue-accented front Recaro sport seats in the RS are highly supportive, yet many drivers will find the prominent side bolsters too confining, and the seat geometry too much like a chaise lounge. Despite more power driver’s seat adjustments from the RS2 package, we found it difficult to settle on a comfortable driving position. Limited rear legroom means your rear-seat passengers won’t be that comfy, either.

Front-Seat Passenger Space

Our 6' tester demonstrates how easy it is to enter and exit the driver’s seat of the Focus RS.

Back-Seat Passenger Space

Our 6' tester demonstrates how easy it is to enter and exit the back seat of the Focus RS. It also shows how much kneeroom there is when the driver’s seat is adjusted for a 6' driver.

Interior Features

There’s not much flow to the interior design of the Focus RS. Its control layout is straightforward, however, and the Sync 3 system’s interface is a cinch to set up and navigate. A lack of power outlets and climate-control vents make the rear seat spartan.

Feature

Standard/Optional

Tilting steering column

Standard

Telescoping steering column

Standard

Power-adjustable steering column

Not Available

Heated steering wheel

Optional

Power-adjustable pedals

Not Available

Memory driver’s seat

Not Available

Massaging driver’s seat

Not Available

Massaging front-passenger seat

Not Available

Power driver’s seat

Optional

Power front-passenger seat

Not Available

Heated front seats

Optional

Heated rear seats

Not Available

Cooled front seats

Not Available

Cooled rear seats

Not Available

Head-up display

Not Available

Rear-seat entertainment system

Not Available

Seat Adjustments

2017 Ford Focus RS

Fore/Aft

Recline

Shoulder articulation

Lumbar support

Height

Thigh support

Side bolster

Headrest tilt

Driver’s seat

X

X

X

Front-passen-ger seat

X

X

Climate Control

2017 Ford Focus RS

Manual climate control

Automatic climate control

Dedicated vent(s)

First Row

No

Two-zone

Yes

Second Row

No

No

No

Cupholder Location

Vehicle Tested: 2017 Ford Focus RS

Interior Sound Level

Modern cabins do an excellent job of insulating passengers from ambient noise, but none can completely eliminate the sharp wind and the drone of tire noise when you’re traveling at highway speed. To measure the interior sound-pressure level, we use a Brüel & Kjær Type 2250-L sound meter, which we position in the middle of the first row of seats at the height of the driver’s ear. The meter automatically averages 15 seconds of sound in A-weighted decibels (dBA), taken while the test car is cruising at 70 mph. (A-weighting is an industry standard that adjusts decibel readings to better reflect how the human ear hears various frequencies.) We take two measurements and average the results. We also correct for speedometer inaccuracies with our GPS-based data loggers. It is worth noting that decibels are a logarithmic unit, so a rating of 40 decibels isn’t twice the sound pressure of 20 decibels; it is 10 times the sound pressure. A six-decibel increase roughly doubles the sound pressure.

Test Results: Interior Sound Levels at 70 mph

Seating Height

To accurately measure seating height—the distance from the road to the driver’s hip—we use an H-Point Machine (HPM), a precisely engineered device marketed by SAE International. This versatile tool, in conjunction with a laser device, reveals the width and location of roof-pillar visibility obstructions (blind spots). Our HPM and laser measurement tools determine the length of road obscured by the hood as well as the road obscured by the trunk or hatch (as seen through the rearview mirror).

Test Results: Seating Height

Blind Spots, Visibility, and Obscured Roadway

Despite a relatively tall saddle, the rear of the RS, as with many hatchbacks, has substantial roof pillars that can impede rear sightlines.

Roof pillars protect occupants in a rollover crash, but they also create blind spots. We determine visibility by measuring the location and width of each pillar using an H-Point Machine and a laser beam (surrogates for a driver and eyeball, respectively). Front and rear visibility are calculated by subtracting the viewable area blocked by the pillars from a perfect 180-degree score.

The Best and Others to Consider

The Editors' Rating summarizes a vehicle's overall degree of excellence and is determined by our editors, who evaluate hundreds of vehicles every year and consider numerous factors both objective and subjective.

Price Starting at

$34,990

Compare

The Type R has taken the States by storm, with its amazing mix of performance and poise earning it a spot on our 2018 10Best Cars list.

The Editors' Rating summarizes a vehicle's overall degree of excellence and is determined by our editors, who evaluate hundreds of vehicles every year and consider numerous factors both objective and subjective.

Price Starting at

$27,265

Compare

Give it up for the GTI: This iconic hot hatch balances fun and function as few can do, and continues to win a spot on our 10Best Cars list for 2018.

The Editors' Rating summarizes a vehicle's overall degree of excellence and is determined by our editors, who evaluate hundreds of vehicles every year and consider numerous factors both objective and subjective.

Price Starting at

$24,990

Compare

A blissful balance of fun and function make the Si a 10Best Cars winner for 2018.